Apparatus for manufacturing fibrous articles from pulp.



No. 635,800. Patehted Oct. 3|, I899.

w. w., A. & F. McEWAN. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING FIBROUS ARTICLES FROM PULP.

(Application filed Apr. 13, 1899.)

2 Sheets8heet I,

(No Model.)

ms cu. motouruu, WASHINGTON, n. c.

No. 635,800. Patented Oct. 3|, I899.

w. w., A. & F. McEWAN.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING FIBRGUS ARTICLES FROM PULP.

(Application filed Apr. 13, 1899.) (No Mudel.) 2 SheetsSheat 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTORS BY I MW I W ATTORN EYS NITED STATES ATENT TVILLIAM W. MOEWAN, ARTHUR MOEWAN, AND FRANK MOEWAN, OF WHIP- PANY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO THE STONY BROOK PAPER COM- PANY, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING FIBROUS ARTICLES FROM PULP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Batent No. 635,800, dated October 31, 1899. Application filed April 13, 1899. SerialNo. 712,922. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,WILLIAM W. MOEWAN, ARTHUR MOEWAN, and FRANK MOEWAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Whippany, Morris county, State of New Jersey,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Fibrous Articles from Pulp, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to apparatus for manufacturing fibrous articles from paper-pulp; and the object of said invention is to provide a simple and efficient apparatus for producing at little cost fibrous articles wherein a I 5 highly-effective surface ornamentation is produced by the natural formation of the pulp in the process of manufacture.

To these ends ourinvention consists in the apparatus hereinafterdescribed and claimed,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying our invention, parts of said apparatus being broken awayto better illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the foraminous formers. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same with the pulp shown adhering thereto, the view being taken on the line 3 3 0 of Fig. 2. Fig. at is a detail face view of the stirrer to be hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an article made in accordance with ourinvention. Fig.

6 is an enlarged sectional view of the same.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings is illustrated a vat A, which we term a formingvat.

This vat. has side walls a and a solid bottom I), and above this solid bottom is suitably supported a pulp-screen B, which preferably 40 consists of a lower layer of comparatively heavy Wire-gauze c-say, for instance, what i is known as, No. 14: gauzewh'ich is capable of withstanding the pressure exerted upon the screen. Upon this first layer of wire-gauze is supported one of a finer mesh, as indicated at (Z. This layer d is preferably what is known as No. 30 wire-gauze. Communicating with the chamber formed between the screen B and the solid bottom of the forming-vat is a suction-pipe e, which is connected to a suitable pump and may be controlled by a valve f. The suction-pipe e may deliver to a suitable outlet, so that the water drawn therethrough will pass off, with what pulp may be contained therein, as a waste product, or the suction-pipe may deliver the water back into the forming-vat. In practice we prefer the former course, inasmuch as the water when once used is not as clear as desired to produce the best results.

In Figs. 2 and 3 we have represented what we term a foraminous former O. Any suitable number of these formers may be em ployed, and they may be of any desired shape and correspond in contour to the articles to be formed. These foraminous formers may be economically constructed with a body or frame 9 of wood, in which a series of channels h is cut. The top and sides of each of these frames are covered with two layers 2' j of wire-gauze, the inner layer t'being comparatively heavy and of a coarse mesh, while the outer layerj is of a finer mesh, as is the casein the construction of the screen B. The lower edge of each of the formers is preferably surrounded by a deckle 7a, which will prevent the pulp from being deposited on the former at this point, so that the former with the pulp adhering thereto may be readily with drawn from the screen without the necessity of separating the web of pulp on the former from that deposited on the screen B. The deckles 76 may be variously formed on the edges thereof to give diiferent contours to the edge of the article, and when such deckles are employed there is ordinarily no necessity for finishing the edge of the article after it is removed from the former.

The bottom of each of the formers is adapted to rest upon the screen B, as indicated in Fig. 1,and a communication is established through the screen between the channels in each of the formers and the suction-pipe 6 when the valvefis open. Water may be supplied to the forming-vat through the pipe Z, while thin pulp may be supplied to the vat through a pipe m. The pulp may be agitated'by any suitable means, such as the stirrer D. (Shown in Fig. 4.) This stirrer is adapted to rest at the ends thereof upon the sides of the vat A and may be moved along the vat by the handles 0, care being taken that the stirrerarms do not contact with the formers.

In operation the valvef is first closed and the forming-Vat is filled with clear water un-,

til all of the formers are submerged. A sufficient quantity of previously-prepared thin paper-pulp is then admitted to the formingvat through the pipe on and is agitated to thoroughly mix it with the water, so that the fibers may be held in suspension therein. The valve f is then opened and the water is withdrawn through the suction-pipe e, and a web of pulp will be drawn or deposited on the various formers and against the screen B, Where no formers rest while the water is being drawn off. Forthe production of rou ghfaced articles care should be exercised that no forming-surface is brought into contact during the process of manufacturing the article with those portions of the surface of the pulp-web where the roughened surface is to appear, nor that those portions of the pulpweb be submitted to compression during or after the article is formed, so that the natural roughened surface of the article made by depositing the pulp on the formers will not be disturbed. The layer of pulp on the formers will, as indicated at E in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings, present aroughened outer surface which may be increased ordecreased accordingly as the proportion of water employed is increased or decreased. The thickness of the layer of pulp is determined by the amount of pulp and water contained in the forming-vat or the length of time that the suction through the pipe 6 is maintained in action. After all the water has been drawn from the pulp the formers are taken out of the forming-vat, and the pulp on the formers may be allowed to dry and harden thereon without further treatment, so that the general contour of the formers will be given to the pulp and the natural roughened surface thereof will be set and will form a physical characteristic of the finished article. If desired, the pulp may be taken from the formers when they are withdrawn from the forming-vat and placed upon corresponding dummy formers to dry in order that the formation or foraminous formers mayimmediately be placed back in the vat and the forming operation repeated without further delay. However, where a sufficient number of foraminous formers have been provided we prefer to allow the pulp to remain thereon until dry and the article is completed, since a handling of the pulp is thus avoided and there is little if any liability of the surface being disturbed.

One of the characteristics of an article made in accordance with the above description is that the fibers lie in different directions, as we have indicated, by way of illustration, in Fig. 6 of the drawings. It will likewise be found in practice that the lowermost portions of the roughened surface are more compact than the elevated portions. The explanation of this is that the general tendency of the fibers in the lowest portions of the surface is to lie in directions substantially parallel to the plane of the surface of the article, as indicated at p in Fig. 6, whereas the general tendency of those at the elevated portions of the surface is to lie at substantially right angles to the plane of the surface, as indicated at q in Fig. 6. This likewise explains why it is that the article is thicker in some places than others, so as to produce the roughened surface referred to herein. Thus in the course of manufacture fibers will be simultaneously deposited upon every exposed surface of the former. Some of these fibers will be deposited in planes substantially parallel to the surface of the article, while others will lie at substantially right angles thereto. Obviously the first mentioned fibers will present a greater surface for resistance of the water passing through the pulp and former than the last-mentioned fibers and the water passing through those portions where there is the least resistance will deposit more fibers at these portions than at the others, and the weight of the water in the vat will compact the fibers at those portions of the article Where the water does not pass through so freely. It will therefore be understood that any compression or surface pressure exerted by a forming-surface upon the pulp on the former during the course of manufacture or afterward or any shogging of the former during the course of manufacture will cause all the fibers to lie in planes substantially parallel to the surface of the article, thereby destroying the eifect which has been described.

It is obvious that instead of depositing the pulp upon formers which give the finished contour to the article the pulp may be deposited upon a fiat former or screen. The sheets of pulp so deposited maybe afterward given the finished contour while the pulp is still wet and without disturbing the natural surface ornamentation thereof.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In an apparatus for forming fibrous articles from pulp, the combination of a fixed fiat supporting-screen, a plurality of removable foraminous formers adapted to be supported upon said screen and means for withdrawing fluid through said screen and foraminous formers.

2. In an apparatus for forming fibrous articles from pulp, the combination of a forming-vat having a supporting-screen above the bottom thereof, a plurality of removable f0- raminous formers adapted to be supported on the screen and means communicating with the vat below the screen for withdrawing fluid through said screen and foraminous formers WILLIAM w. MCEWAN. ARTHUR MoEWAN. FRANK McnwAn.

Vitnesses:

JOHN E. FORD, JOHN F. ll/IARTIN. 

